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Tragedy in Grindelwald

Nik Zoricic killed in ski cross event in Switzerland By Hank McKee

Nik Zoricic on March 10.

On March 10, a crash off the final jump in a World Cup Ski
Cross event at Grindelwald, Switzerland, claimed the life of Ca-
nadian athlete Nik Zoricic.
Zoricic was participating in the fourth heat of the event. He
came off the final jump at an angle and landed on the far right
side of the finish pole into netting at the side of the course, sus-
taining head injuries. After immediate onsite efforts to help the
unconscious athlete by team doctors and the Swiss emergency
response team Air Glacier, Zoricic was airlifted to a hospital
in Interlaken, where he was pronounced dead of “severe neu-
rotrauma.”
“Nik Zoricic fell heavily just before the finish in the round of
eight, crashing directly into the safety netting and thereafter ly-
ing motionless,” read a statement from the FIS. “The organizing
committee, FIS and Swiss Ski express their deepest condo-
lences to the family and friends of Nik Zoricic and the Canadian
Ski Team.”
FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis was watching the races in
person and said all the safety measures were in place, accord-
ing to the Associated Press. “There will be plenty of discussions
from all the experts on the technical side and coaches, and
any improvements people feel are right to make, will be made,”
Lewis said.
The death rocked the entire ski cross community, and particu-
larly the Canadian team, which had lost halfpipe skier Sarah
Burke earlier in the season to a training crash.
In place of the scheduled second competition on March 11,
skiers, coaches, staff and a variety of officials from all nations
gathered at the top of the course as a tribute to the 29-year-
old Zoricic. Teammates and coaches addressed the gathering,
spoke of his love for the sport, of his fellow competitors and of
the importance of camaraderie. After a moment of silence the
gathered group skied down the course.
At the final jump where the accident occurred, each took a
rose from a basket on the edge of the jump. Below the jump
at the crash site were a picture of Zoricic and a wreath, where
each participant took a moment to place a flower. The Cana-
dian team huddled around head coach Erik Archer and took a
knee.
“Nik loved what he did,” said Zoricic’s father, coach Predrag
Bebe Zoricic, in a statement. “Ski racing was his life and he
enjoyed every moment of it. There are no regrets from any-
one because he did what he loved to do. Nik’s dream was to
make the national team, and he did that. His other dream was
to make the Olympics. Like every athlete, he had his ups and
downs, but he was on his way up when this happened. He was
really enjoying this year. He was really happy.”